**Warning** This post contains spoilers for the season 19 premiere of Survivor: Samoa. Scroll down if you don’t want to be spoiled!

Last week was the premiere of Survivor: Samoa. Can you believe it’s the 19th season of the ground-breaking reality show? I’ve seen it from Day ONE (though, not Marquesas as Channel 9 skipped that entirely). Back on topic, who would have thought I’d still be just as excited as can be that there is a new season, in another ‘mysterious, largely untouched by civilisation’ location. Although seriously – when will they do something like the Arctic? Now that would be more challenging than Samoa, surely!

Normally I wouldn’t really post about a reality show, as generally it is something one would have to commit to, seeing as the first episode is generally only focussed on exposition and seeing the ‘characters’ get comfortable in their surroundings, or try to assert some power based on their ‘real life’ situations. Generally nothing too stand-out for the first episode.

Not in this case. Generally in the last couple of seasons, you’ve had one or two especially scheming characters. People that want to win at any expense and will play the ‘social’ game, but also try to be as competitive in the physical challenges also. And generally, through their white lies and whatnot they’re still likable (think Todd from Survivor: China) oh so devious, and sly but still a jovial, adorable guy.

Here is where Survivor: Samoa’s opening episode alone will now flip that on its head; I have now met the vilest, most offensive ‘character’ I can think of in recent history. (Bear in mind, I’m sure some of you may come up with more, on other shows I don’t watch – feel free to comment with examples!)

Here are a few examples. Stout & bald, beer-bellied oil-company owner Russell props himself up as there to win the game. He’s not there to make friends, he’s not there because he’s a ‘die-hard’ fan like some contestants have been in recent series. He then goes onto explain that in the process of being the last one standing; he will go out of his way to make surviving, and the ‘game’ itself miserable for everyone else.

He approaches a couple of the young women on his tribe, and wants to be smart, making an alliance on day one with people that he’d be least expected to be tight with; then in the one-on-one camera chat calls it the ‘dumb-ass girl alliance’. Urgh.

If that wasn’t bad enough, he then tells a campfire story about being trapped in Hurricane Katrina. His beloved dog dying. Being a fireman and doing his best to survive. NONE of it true. Absolutely abhorrent!

To end the night on an even higher note, whilst the camp is asleep he empties out ALL the water canteens, and throws a tribe-mate’s sock into the campfire. I cannot even remember in the past, in 19 seasons if someone has been so malicious in this way. But as Jeff Probst blogged about here – this new villain is sure to be a very big reason why people will tune in. Just to see what he does, and the very likely wreckage he will leave in whatever manipulative story he tells, or creature comfort he ruins in order to serve his own evil purpose.

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